TT RAM MOHAN's comments on the Indian economy, banking and current affairs

Wednesday, September 09, 2015

1965 war: a Pakistani view

I read and re-read this assessment of the 1965 war in Pakistan's Dawn newspaper with some amazement. It is scathing in its comments on the handling as well as the outcome of the war on the Pakistani side:

In fact, the war was started when we launched Operation Gibraltar in
early July 1965, infiltrating thousands of Pakistani soldiers into
India-occupied Kashmir under the assumption that Kashmiris would rise in
revolt against the Indian forces.
That never happened and within weeks the entire operation had collapsed.
Meanwhile, the Indian forces launched a counteroffensive occupying
parts of Azad Kashmir.Subsequently on Aug 30, we launched
Operation Grand Slam that was meant to capture the strategic town of
Akhnur and to cut off held Kashmir from India. But it was too late.
Another disaster happened when halfway through Grand Slam, the command
was changed giving more time to the Indians to recoup and gather
reinforcements. As a result this operation too ended in a fiasco.

About the Indian offensive on the Lahore front, the writer says:

...the persons most surprised were the president and the army chief when
the Indians launched the attack on Sept 6.
Ayub was woken up at four in the morning and given the news of Indian
advances towards Lahore by an officer of the air force on reconnaissance
duty. Ayub telephoned Gen Musa who said he had also heard the news but
was waiting for confirmation!

The author concludes:

Air Marshal Nur Khan, who led the air force, achieving complete
superiority over the Indian air force, called it a wrong war that was
planned “for self-glory rather than in the national interest”. History
has to be put straight so that the mistakes are not repeated.

On the 1967 war, have you come across anything half as self-critical and objective in the Indian media? If the leading newspaper of a country can carry such an article, I would submit that there is something very right about that country. It cannot be a failed state, indeed, it is a country steadfastly battling any descent in that direction.

I have been an admirer of Dawn for many years now. Its liberalism is not confined to India-Pakistan relations. It has a thoroughly modern and reformist view on matters internal to Pakistan as well. Those who want Pakistan to be a vibrant democracy, free from the taint of terrorism, and also want that India and Pakistan should live together in peace must make it a point to read Dawn.